The invention relates to the field of manufacturing and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for electronics board retention during various manufacturing operations.
In a high-volume electronics board manufacturing environment, various types of automated equipment are used at different stages in the manufacturing process. For example, a screen printer may be used in order to apply solder paste to a side of an electronics board, while automated pick-and-place equipment is used to place electronic components onto the electronics board. Each of these operations presents challenges in reducing the time and the associated equipment required to prepare the automated equipment to accommodate a particular electronics board.
During the application of the solder paste, for example, the screen printer must incorporate a means to retain and support the electronics board so that the viscous solder paste can be applied. This process typically requires a support plate which incorporates support struts which are permanently affixed to the support plate for each type of electronics board. For a two-sided electronics board, a unique support plate is usually required for each side of the electronics board. Thus, in a high mix environment, where many different types of electronics boards are undergoing solder paste screen-printing, a large number of support plates, each with a unique arrangement of support struts, may be required.
At another point in the manufacturing process, an electronics board may be placed into an automated pick-and-place machine so that components can be placed on the electronics board. During this stage, the electronics board must also be held into place to ensure that component leads can be subsequently soldered into place. During this operation, a unique support plate is typically required for each type of electronics board being manufactured. Additionally, two such unique support plates may be required when two sided boards are being manufactured.
Thus, it is highly desirable to make use of an improved method and apparatus for electronics board retention during manufacturing operations. This can reduce the number of support plates having unique support strut arrangements required to enable solder paste screen-printing and pick-and-place component location for each of the different types of electronics boards being manufactured. Additionally, the method is useful in reducing the setup time required to prepare the equipment to accommodate each type of electronics board.